Could you trust your life to plain ol' .223?

[Doc Safari]

Call this the "What if .223 was all you had?" thread.

In light of the pending ban on M855, I've been thinking about some scenarios.

One is that, over time, for some strange reason ATF manages to ban all but commercial .223 on the theory that 5.56 is "military ammo."

I know this isn't likely at present the way the law is written, but humor me.

Or say, a SHTF situation comes up and the only ammo you had kept in stock was .223 ball ammo for target practice. Maybe you had been planning to buy some more effective rounds for home defense, but never got around to it before such rounds were unobtainable for whatever reason.

Or maybe for whatever reason you can buy .223 where you live but not 5.56.

The basic premise is that you are stuck with commercial .223 to shoot in your carbine and that 5.56 cannot be had.

So, should you trust your life to regular commercial two-two-three?

A .22LR round can kill someone, but you probably shouldn't bet your life on it as a defensive round.

If you were stuck with .223 ball due to legal maneuverings or a SHTF situation or something, how would you have to compensate for its shortcomings and use it as a home defense round?

[CatSnipah]

Well, if it's all I had access to, I'd do the same thing I would do today with 556 - put it in my pmags, load it into my ARs, and shoot away.

A standard 223 round is still highly likely to pass through standard lower-level body armor at typical engagement distances. I guess I'd maybe think about it a little, but wouldn't call it a world-ender.

But I also don't have the higher level of shooting experience that many others on here might.

[Onyx Z]

IMO, 223 and 5.56 are not all that dissimilar, given the same bullet. Yeah, 5.56 has more powder pushing it, but they are fairly similar otherwise. 5.56 may not cycle in certain rifles, but you shouldn't have a picky weapon system for SHTF types of scenarios. You want something that will eat ANYTHING.

I wouldn't have a problem using 223 as long as my rifle will cycle it.

[nate89]

I think there are plenty of quality commercial .223 offerings available. Nosler 64 grain BSB, Federal TBBC, The many 75-77 grain HPBT from Hornady, Nosler, or even PPU. Plus the 50 and 70 grain Barnes ammo. I would not feel bad at all if I still had those options to choose from (I actually use the Nosler ammo right now as my self-defense ammo). Do I think it is insane to ban 'military' ammo? Of course, but I do not feel at a disadvantage with commercial ammo.

[texasgunhand]

Even a American eagle .223 will drop you in your tracks. Ive seen them drop a deer were he stood.
No comparison between it and say a 9mm or .380. If you take even a plain old .223 55gr fmj to the chest you better hope theres a ambulance or even better a helicopter on the way.

Most people dont have or wear body armor even if its a SHTF thing and if they are they better have plates in it. The .223 is not a 30.06 but it wil go through wood or metal no problem.

[rcoodyar15]

Even a American eagle .223 will drop you in your tracks. Ive seen them drop a deer were he stood.
No comparison between it and say a 9mm or .380. If you take even a plain old .223 55gr fmj to the chest you better hope theres a ambulance or even better a helicopter on the way.

Most people dont have or wear body armor even if its a SHTF thing and if they are they better have plates in it. The .223 is not a 30.06 but it wil go through wood or metal no problem.

personally I don't think you could tell the difference if you got shot with a .223 or a 5.56

Comparing velocity and energy I think barrel length and bullet weight would make more of a difference than if it was .223 or 5.56

I handload and mostly use .223 load data just because of brass life. I can hot them up to 5.56 levels very easily using the same bullets and brass.

[Doc Safari]

Personally, I shoot .223 almost all of the time because it's more accurate and I'm convinced that it makes the gun last longer due to the lower power.

IIRC 5.56 power is what it is so that it will penetrate enemy helmets at a certain range, correct? Or is there another reason?

[vicious_cb]

Personally, I shoot .223 almost all of the time because it's more accurate and I'm convinced that it makes the gun last longer due to the lower power.

IIRC 5.56 power is what it is so that it will penetrate enemy helmets at a certain range, correct? Or is there another reason?

No. Considering the title of this thread you are horribly misinformed. The difference in lethality has to do with bullet construction not whether it is .223 or 5.56. There are plenty of .223 loads that outperform 5.56 ball by a long shot. M855 is a poor choice for a defensive load.

[MegademiC]

Personally, I shoot .223 almost all of the time because it's more accurate and I'm convinced that it makes the gun last longer due to the lower power.

IIRC 5.56 power is what it is so that it will penetrate enemy helmets at a certain range, correct? Or is there another reason?

I have 223 fusion loaded up right now. I rarely shoot 5.56, as the best readily available ammo is 223, not 5.56, IMO

[TomD]

Shoot 'em to the ground with whatever you are shooting.